Cornell football launches new era with former Ole Miss assistant Austin at the helm

View full sizeDave Burbank / Cornell UniversityCornell football coach Kent Austin inherits a Big Red team that won its first two games last season, then lost eight in a row.

The Kent Austin era at Cornell will open in humble surroundings Saturday at 3,300-seat Wagner College Stadium on Staten Island.

It may be the big city, but the atmosphere will be a far cry from the passion of the Southeastern Conference where Austin spent the past two seasons as offensive coordinator at Ole Miss.

No matter. Austin’s singular focus since arriving in Ithaca is rebuilding the Big Red football program. After months of preparation, he said he is anxious to see his team finally take the field.

“Obviously, there’ll be a lot of excitement, there’ll be some anxiety like all coaches should have,” said Austin, who was named the 26th coach in school history on Jan. 27. “I know I should have them. If I don’t, I probably need to get out of the profession right now.

“I don’t know a lot about how our guys will perform when the lights are on,” he said. “I know it’s been a long time since they played. We need to hit someone else right now.”

Athletic director Andy Noel said Austin’s presence has already invigorated the fan base, which has been waiting for a resurgence of their beloved Big Red.

“What I see is that he’s had so much experience and such exposure to the highest levels of football that he just brings so much strategy and tactics and organization to the game,” Noel said. “He’s taken the program by storm. The alumni, who have weathered some pretty tough years, have met him, gotten to know him and are incredibly impressed.”

Austin, the former Ole Miss quarterback, isn’t the only unfamiliar face on the revamped Cornell coaching roster.

The Big Red dropped its final eight games of 2009 under Jim Knowles, who resigned in December to become the defensive coordinator at Duke. Knowles cited “financial reasons” when he resigned with two years remaining on his contract. He was 26-34 in six seasons.

The Big Red has been picked to finish eighth — last — in the Ivy League preseason poll.

Cornell UniversityNew Cornell University football coach Kent Austin.

“We’re trying to change the culture here,” said Austin, who has yet to settle on junior Adam Currie or true freshman Jeff Matthews at quarterback for the opener. “Change the belief systems, change the morale of the players.”

Before returning to his alma mater in 2008, Austin enjoyed tremendous success in the CFL as both a player and a coach.

He is one of only four quarterbacks in CFL history to pass for more than 6,000 yards in a season. He won two Grey Cups as a player and one as a coach in 2007 with Saskatchewan — his only previous head coaching experience.

The past two years at Ole Miss, Austin groomed NFL prospect Jevan Snead while calling plays for a Rebels offense that averaged 30.8 points per game and scored more than 40 eight times.

Can that high-octane approach work in the Ivy League?

“I had to adjust on the offensive side of the ball ... the talent level there in relation to the talent level we have here with our guys,” he said. “We’re always going to run what we feel we can execute. I don’t believe in being vanilla play in and play out.”

When he arrived at Cornell, Austin realized he would need to first turn that innovative mind toward the complexities of recruiting with the same zeal that he attacked SEC defenses.

So Austin and his staff developed spreadsheets to see where each prospective player fit within the financial aid (there are no athletic scholarships) and admissions parameters of each of Cornell’s seven colleges. Austin wrote the software.

“Can they play, can they pay, can they get in,” he said. “It’s kind of a three-tiered approach. Those processes are new to me.”

First and foremost, Noel is a fan. He watched Wednesday’s spirited practice and said he will be among the Cornell contingent on hand for Saturday’s opener. He likes what he sees.

“Without question, Kent has proven to be a fantastic coach,” he said. “You can tell this is a coach who has been in the very big-time. The kind of guys that sleeps three hours a night to get ready for a game if that’s required.”

Of course, anyone associated with Cornell football is hopeful that sleepless nights are a thing of the past.